Shari....

Hey Shari.. I see you are about a week from your surgery.. What are your thoughts right now... Apprehensive, Anxious, Happy...? Do you think you are mentally prepared? What are you looking forward to? What aren't you looking forward to? I would love to see what it feels like to have the surgery from a physical standpoint because they say you get full on very little food.  I can't wait to hear from you after the surgery. Btw.. .best of luck to you!

Actually, I'm just over a month away (July 16), and my attitude's kind of atypical so it may noy help much: it's more like, "Gotta do what I gotta do." Not excited, not mad at myself: resigned to fate is probably closest. I know I am prepared for what needs to be done. Thanks for the well wishes. I wish I could do what I am doing now and continue my success, but since the pros say it's doubtful, I guess I'll be moseyin' on!

"I wish I could do what I am doing now and continue my success, but since the pros say it's doubtful, I guess I'll be moseyin' on."

I know they say it's doubtful, but it's not impossible.  I know you've thought through this and it's the right time for you and you have a list of co-morbs a mile long and that you think you may not live long enough to lose enough weight to improve anything and on and on and on, but as long as you keep on doing what you are doing, is there any reason that your success wouldn't continue?  I know that statistically speaking the odds of losing it and keeping it off aren't good, but since when were you a statistic?  You are not one in a million, Shari, for if you were there would be thousands out there like you.  You are one of a kind.   Have the surgery if you must, but don't have it just because the pro's say you can't be successful without rerouting your digestive tract.  I still support your decision to have wls, but I do worry.  I would hate to see you trade one list of health problems for another.  Maybe I've just been reading too much on Melting Mama's web site.  I hope everything goes well for you.

hi there -  its funny that you mention melting mama. since i've been so bedbound and bored, i've been exploring new parts of OH that i normally don't go to and i have been seeing a number of people who are 5,6,7 years out who are talking about all the serious health issues they are having. no one talks about the long term. everyone always talks about the risks of the actual surgery. but i have been shocked and scared reading some these horror stories - even those people who follow post-op and vitamin recommendations perfectly  - and i feel like these things are not talk about. and most people on here are not very far out - 2 or 3 years max. part of it is that they don't really have the research on long term outcomes but still thinking about how many people are having this surgery every day, i wonder if there is not going to be some sort of public health crisis in like 10 years. i dunno. just something i've been thinking about... at what point do the risks - both in surgery and the long term - outweigh the results?